Organization and Business Activities	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Organization and Business Activities
Organization and Business Activities	1. Organization and Business Activities Principal Business DISH Network Corporation is a holding company. Its subsidiaries (which together with DISH Network Corporation are referred to as “DISH Network,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and/or “our,” unless otherwise required by the context). DISH Network is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (“EchoStar”), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “SATS.” Recent Developments Merger with EchoStar On December 31, 2023, EchoStar completed the acquisition of DISH Network pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 2, 2023 (the “Amended Merger Agreement”), by and among EchoStar, EAV Corp., a Nevada corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”), and DISH Network, pursuant to which EchoStar acquired DISH Network by means of the merger of Merger Sub with and into DISH Network (the “Merger”), with DISH Network surviving the Merger as EchoStar’s wholly owned subsidiary. On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Amended Merger Agreement, on December 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Effective Time”), each share of DISH Network Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“DISH Network Class A Common Stock”) and DISH Network Class C common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“DISH Network Class C Common Stock”) outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, was converted into the right to receive a number of validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of EchoStar Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“EchoStar Class A Common Stock”) equal to 0.350877 (the “Exchange Ratio”). On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Amended Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, each share of DISH Network Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“DISH Network Class B Common Stock” and, together with DISH Network Class A Common Stock and DISH Network Class C Common Stock, “DISH Network Common Stock”), outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into the right to receive a number of validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of EchoStar Class B common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “EchoStar Class B Common Stock” and, together with the EchoStar Class A Common Stock, the “EchoStar Common Stock”), equal to the Exchange Ratio. Any shares of DISH Network Common Stock that were held in DISH Network’s treasury or held directly by EchoStar or Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time were cancelled and cease to exist and no consideration was paid in respect thereof. All shares of the DISH Network Class A Common Stock were delisted from the NASDAQ Global Select Market and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The EchoStar Common Stock issued to the Ergen DISH Stockholders (as defined in the Amended Merger Agreement) as Merger consideration was issued through a private placement exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). At the Effective Time, each share of DISH Network Class A Common Stock owned by the Ergen DISH Stockholders immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into the right to receive a number of shares of EchoStar Class A Common Stock equal to the Exchange Ratio, and (b) each share of DISH Network Class B Common Stock owned by the Ergen DISH Stockholders immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into the right to receive a number of shares of EchoStar Class B Common Stock equal to the Exchange Ratio. Concurrently with the entry into the Amended Merger Agreement, the Ergen EchoStar Stockholders (as defined in the Amended Merger Agreement), the Ergen DISH Stockholders (collectively, the “Ergen Stockholders”), EchoStar and DISH Network entered into an amended and restated support agreement (the “Amended Support Agreement”). In connection with the completion of the Merger, and pursuant to the Amended and Restated Support Agreement, on December 31, 2023, EchoStar and the Ergen Stockholders entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). The Registration Rights Agreement provides the Ergen Stockholders, and their affiliates who become parties thereto, with certain registration rights relating to the shares of EchoStar Common Stock, which they beneficially own, including (i) the right to demand shelf registration as well as registration on long and short form registration statements and (ii) “piggyback” registration rights to be included in future registered offerings by us of our equity securities, in each case, subject to certain requirements and customary conditions. The Registration Rights Agreement sets forth customary registration procedures, including an agreement by EchoStar to make appropriate officers available to participate in roadshow presentations and cooperate as reasonably requested in connection with any underwritten offerings. EchoStar also agreed to indemnify the Ergen Stockholders and their affiliates with respect to liabilities resulting from untrue statements or omissions in any registration statement used in any such registration, other than untrue statements or omissions based on or contained in information furnished to EchoStar for use in a registration statement by a participating stockholder. For more information and a copy of the Amended Merger Agreement, the Amended Support Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, see the Form 8-K of EchoStar filed on October 3, 2023 and the Form 8-K of EchoStar filed on January 2, 2024. With the Merger complete, we are currently focused on the process of integrating our and EchoStar’s business in a manner that facilitates synergies, cost savings, growth opportunities and achieves other anticipated benefits (the “Integration”). As a result of the merger with EchoStar effective December 31, 2023, all of our outstanding shares are held by EchoStar. Therefore, certain disclosures related to outstanding shares and equity have been omitted. Future Capital Requirements The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable investment securities totaled $382 million as of December 31, 2023 (“Cash on Hand”). As reflected in the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2023, we have $951 million and $1.983 billion of debt maturing in March and November 2024, respectively, as well as a $438 million obligation related to the SNR put right and for calendar year 2024 we are forecasting negative cash flows. Our parent, EchoStar, satisfied the SNR obligation out of its cash and cash equivalents and marketable investment securities on February 16, 2024. The remaining balance of $951 million on our 2 3/8% Convertible Notes matured on March 15, 2024 and was paid with Cash on Hand, cash flow from operations and funds from certain strategic transactions including the sale of our wholly-owned subsidiary which holds the 700 MHz Spectrum to a wholly-owned subsidiary of our parent, EchoStar, on March 12, 2024. See Note 9 for further information. Because we do not currently have committed financing to fund our operations for at least twelve months from the issuance of these consolidated financial statements, substantial doubt exists about our and our parent, EchoStar’s, ability to continue as a going concern. As discussed above, we used Cash on Hand, cash flow from operations and funds from certain strategic transactions including the sale of our wholly-owned subsidiary which holds the 700 MHz Spectrum to a wholly-owned subsidiary of our parent, EchoStar, to pay the March 2024 debt maturity. We do not currently have the necessary Cash on Hand and/or projected future cash flows to fund the November 2024 debt maturity. To address our capital needs, we are in active discussions with funding sources to raise additional capital and restructure our outstanding debt. We cannot provide assurances that we will be successful in obtaining such new financing and/or restructuring the existing debt obligations necessary for us to have sufficient liquidity. Further, if we are not successful in these endeavors, then capital expenditures to meet future FCC build out requirements and wireless customer growth initiatives will be adversely affected. In addition, our parent, EchoStar, may not be able to provide additional liquidity in the future. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amount and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we not continue as a going concern. Segments We currently operate three primary business segments: (1) Pay-TV; (2) Retail Wireless and (3) 5G Network Deployment. Pay-TV We offer pay-TV services under the DISH® brand and the SLING® brand (collectively “Pay-TV” services). The DISH branded pay-TV service consists of, among other things, Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) licenses authorizing us to use direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) and Fixed Satellite Service (“FSS”) spectrum, our owned and leased satellites, receiver systems, broadcast operations, a leased fiber optic network, in-home service and call center operations, and certain other assets utilized in our operations (“DISH TV”). We also design, develop and distribute receiver systems and provide digital broadcast operations, including satellite uplinking/downlinking, transmission and other services to third-party pay-TV providers. The SLING branded pay-TV services consist of, among other things, multichannel, live-linear and on-demand streaming over-the-top (“OTT”) Internet-based domestic, international, Latino and Freestream video programming services (“SLING TV”). As of December 31, 2023, we had 8.526 million Pay-TV subscribers in the United States, including 6.471 million DISH TV subscribers and 2.055 million SLING TV subscribers. Retail Wireless We offer nationwide prepaid and postpaid retail wireless services to subscribers primarily under our Boost Mobile®, Boost postpaid and Gen Mobile® brands (“Retail Wireless” services), as well as a competitive portfolio of wireless devices. Prepaid wireless subscribers generally pay in advance for monthly access to wireless talk, text, and data services. Postpaid wireless subscribers are qualified to pay after receiving wireless talk, text, and data services, and may also qualify for financing arrangements for wireless devices. We are currently operating our Retail Wireless segment primarily as a mobile virtual network operator (“MVNO”) as we continue our 5G Network Deployment and commercialize our 5G Network, as defined below. We are transitioning our Retail Wireless segment to a mobile network operator (“MNO”) as our 5G Network becomes commercially available and we are currently activating subscribers onto our 5G Network in markets where we have reached voice over new radio (“VoNR”). As an MVNO, today we depend on T-Mobile and AT&T to provide us with network services under the amended Master Network Services Agreement (“MNSA”) and Network Services Agreement (the “NSA”), respectively. Under the NSA, we expect AT&T will become our primary network services provider. As of December 31, 2023, we had 7.378 million Wireless subscribers. Other Developments We regularly evaluate ways to enhance our business. As part of this process, we are in regular dialogue with interested parties who may assist us in accomplishing our goals, including ongoing conversations with CONX Corp. (an entity partially owned by Charles W. Ergen, our Chairman) regarding a transaction involving our Retail Wireless segment. There can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to a transaction nor as to the structure or terms of any such transaction. 5G Network Deployment We have invested a total of over $30 billion in Wireless spectrum licenses, which includes over $10 billion in initial noncontrolling investments in certain entities. The $30 billion of investments related to Wireless spectrum licenses does not include $9 billion of capitalized interest related to the carrying value of such licenses. See Note 2 and Note 13 for further information. We will need to raise additional capital in the future, which may not be available on favorable terms, to fund the efforts described below, as well as, among other things, make any potential Northstar Re-Auction Payment and SNR Re-Auction Payment for the AWS-3 licenses retained by the FCC. There can be no assurance that we will be able to profitably deploy these Wireless spectrum licenses, which may affect the carrying amount of these assets and our future financial condition or results of operations. See Note 13 for further information. DISH Network Spectrum We have invested a total of over $30 billion to acquire certain Wireless spectrum licenses. These Wireless spectrum licenses are subject to certain interim and final build-out requirements, as well as certain renewal requirements. We plan to commercialize our Wireless spectrum licenses through the completion of the nation’s first cloud-native, Open Radio Access Network (“O-RAN”) based 5G network (our “5G Network Deployment”). We have committed to deploy a facilities-based 5G broadband network (our “5G Network”) capable of serving increasingly larger portions of the U.S. population at different deadlines, including 20% of the U.S. population by June 2022 and 70% of the U.S. population by June 2023. If by June 2023, we are offering 5G broadband service to at least 50% of the U.S. population but less than 70% of the U.S. population, the 70% June 2023 deadline will be extended automatically to June 2025; however, as a result, we may, under certain circumstances, potentially be subject to certain penalties. On June 14, 2022, we announced we had successfully reached our 20% population coverage requirement. In addition, we announced and certified to the FCC that as of June 14, 2023, we offer 5G broadband service to over 73% of the U.S. population, or more than 246 million Americans nationwide. On September 29, 2023, the FCC confirmed we have met all of our June 14, 2023 band-specific 5G deployment commitments, and two of our three nationwide 5G commitments. The single remaining 5G commitment, that at least 70% of the U.S. population has access to average download speeds equal to 35 Mbps, was confirmed using the drive test methodology agreed to and approved by the FCC and overseen by an independent monitor. We now have the largest commercial deployment of 5G VoNR in the world reaching approximately 200 million Americans, and 5G broadband service reaching approximately 250 million Americans. As a result of us providing 5G broadband service to over 50% of the U.S. population by June 14, 2023, the final build-out deadlines have been extended automatically to June 14, 2025 for us to offer 5G broadband service to at least 70% of the population in each Economic Area for the 700 MHz Licenses and AWS-4 Licenses and at least 75% of the population in each Economic Area for the H Block Licenses. We may need to make significant additional investments or partner with others to, among other things, continue our 5G Network Deployment and further commercialize, build-out and integrate these licenses and related assets and any additional acquired licenses and related assets, as well as to comply with regulations applicable to such licenses. Depending on the nature and scope of such activities, any such investments or partnerships could vary significantly. In addition, as we continue our 5G Network Deployment, we have and may continue to incur significant additional expenses related to, among other things, research and development, wireless testing and ongoing upgrades to the wireless network infrastructure, software and third-party integration. As a result of these investments, among other factors, we plan to raise additional capital, which may not be available on favorable terms. We may also determine that additional wireless spectrum licenses may be required for our 5G Network Deployment and to compete effectively with other wireless service providers. See Note 13 for further information. DISH Network Noncontrolling Investments in the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities Related to AWS-3 Wireless Spectrum Licenses During 2015, through our wholly-owned subsidiaries American AWS-3 Wireless II L.L.C. (“American II”) and American AWS-3 Wireless III L.L.C. (“American III”), we initially made over $10 billion in certain noncontrolling investments in Northstar Spectrum, LLC (“Northstar Spectrum”), the parent company of Northstar Wireless, L.L.C. (“Northstar Wireless,” and collectively with Northstar Spectrum, the “Northstar Entities”), and in SNR Wireless HoldCo, LLC (“SNR HoldCo”), the parent company of SNR Wireless LicenseCo, LLC (“SNR Wireless,” and collectively with SNR HoldCo, the “SNR Entities”), respectively. On October 27, 2015, the FCC granted certain AWS-3 wireless spectrum licenses (the “AWS-3 Licenses”) to Northstar Wireless and to SNR Wireless, respectively, which are recorded in “Regulatory authorizations, net” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Under the applicable accounting guidance in Accounting Standards Codification 810, Consolidation (“ASC 810”), Northstar Spectrum and SNR HoldCo are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and, based on the characteristics of the structure of these entities and in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance, we consolidate these entities into our financial statements. On October 12, 2023, the FCC consented to the sale of Northstar Manager, LLC’s (“Northstar Manager”) ownership interests in Northstar Spectrum, which we purchased for a total of approximately $109 million. This purchase resulted in the elimination of all of our redeemable noncontrolling interest as it related to Northstar Spectrum as of the purchase date and we continue to consolidate the Northstar Entities as wholly-owned subsidiaries. Subsequent to December 31, 2023, the FCC consented to the sale of SNR Wireless Management, LLC’s (“SNR Management”) ownership interests in SNR HoldCo, which was purchased by our parent’s direct wholly-owned subsidiary EchoStar SNR HoldCo L.L.C. for a total of approximately $442 million on February 16, 2024. This purchase resulted in the conversion of our outstanding redeemable noncontrolling interest as it relates to SNR HoldCo to noncontrolling interest, which is now held by our parent, EchoStar, as of the purchase date. See Note 2 for further information. Other Developments Cyber-Security Incident On February 23, 2023, we experienced a network outage that affected our internal servers and IT telephony. We immediately activated our incident response and business continuity plans designed to contain, remediate and recover from the situation. We engaged the services of certain cyber-security experts and outside advisors to assist in the evaluation of the situation, and once we determined that the outage was due to a cyber-security incident, we promptly notified appropriate law enforcement authorities. On February 28, 2023, we further disclosed that certain data had been extracted from our IT systems. Our investigation into the extent of the incident is now completed. We determined that our customer databases were not accessed, however, we confirmed that certain employee-related records as well as a limited number of other records containing certain personal information were among the data extracted. We took steps to protect the affected records, received confirmation that the extracted data was deleted and notified individuals whose data was extracted. Our DISH TV, SLING TV and Retail Wireless services, along with our wireless and data networks remained operational at all times during the incident. As of March 31, 2023, all significant systems had been restored. During the first quarter of 2023, we incurred substantially all of our cyber-security-related expenses for this matter, including, but not limited to, costs to remediate the incident and provide additional customer support. During the second, third and fourth quarters of 2023, we did not incur additional material expenses resulting from the cyber-security incident and do not expect to incur material expenses in future periods. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we incurred approximately $30 million in cyber-security-related expenses, which are recorded in “Cost of services” on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Organization and Business Activities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Organization and Business Activities

1. Organization and Business Activities

Principal Business

DISH Network Corporation is a holding company. Its subsidiaries (which together with DISH Network Corporation are referred to as “DISH Network,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and/or “our,” unless otherwise required by the context). DISH Network is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (“EchoStar”), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “SATS.”

Recent Developments

Merger with EchoStar

On December 31, 2023, EchoStar completed the acquisition of DISH Network pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 2, 2023 (the “Amended Merger Agreement”), by and among EchoStar, EAV Corp., a Nevada corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”), and DISH Network, pursuant to which EchoStar acquired DISH Network by means of the merger of Merger Sub with and into DISH Network (the “Merger”), with DISH Network surviving the Merger as EchoStar’s wholly owned subsidiary.

On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Amended Merger Agreement, on December 31, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Effective Time”), each share of DISH Network Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“DISH Network Class A Common Stock”) and DISH Network Class C common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“DISH Network Class C Common Stock”) outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, was converted into the right to receive a number of validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of EchoStar Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“EchoStar Class A Common Stock”) equal to 0.350877 (the “Exchange Ratio”). On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Amended Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, each share of DISH Network Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“DISH Network Class B Common Stock” and, together with DISH Network Class A Common Stock and DISH Network Class C Common Stock, “DISH Network Common Stock”), outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into the right to receive a number of validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of EchoStar Class B common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “EchoStar Class B Common Stock” and, together with the EchoStar Class A Common Stock, the “EchoStar Common Stock”), equal to the Exchange Ratio. Any shares of DISH Network Common Stock that were held in DISH Network’s treasury or held directly by EchoStar or Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time were cancelled and cease to exist and no consideration was paid in respect thereof. All shares of the DISH Network Class A Common Stock were delisted from the NASDAQ Global Select Market and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

The EchoStar Common Stock issued to the Ergen DISH Stockholders (as defined in the Amended Merger Agreement) as Merger consideration was issued through a private placement exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). At the Effective Time, each share of DISH Network Class A Common Stock owned by the Ergen DISH Stockholders immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into the right to receive a number of shares of EchoStar Class A Common Stock equal to the Exchange Ratio, and (b) each share of DISH Network Class B Common Stock owned by the Ergen DISH Stockholders immediately prior to the Effective Time was converted into the right to receive a number of shares of EchoStar Class B Common Stock equal to the Exchange Ratio.

Concurrently with the entry into the Amended Merger Agreement, the Ergen EchoStar Stockholders (as defined in the Amended Merger Agreement), the Ergen DISH Stockholders (collectively, the “Ergen Stockholders”), EchoStar and DISH Network entered into an amended and restated support agreement (the “Amended Support Agreement”).

In connection with the completion of the Merger, and pursuant to the Amended and Restated Support Agreement, on December 31, 2023, EchoStar and the Ergen Stockholders entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”).

The Registration Rights Agreement provides the Ergen Stockholders, and their affiliates who become parties thereto, with certain registration rights relating to the shares of EchoStar Common Stock, which they beneficially own, including (i) the right to demand shelf registration as well as registration on long and short form registration statements and (ii) “piggyback” registration rights to be included in future registered offerings by us of our equity securities, in each case, subject to certain requirements and customary conditions. The Registration Rights Agreement sets forth customary registration procedures, including an agreement by EchoStar to make appropriate officers available to participate in roadshow presentations and cooperate as reasonably requested in connection with any underwritten offerings. EchoStar also agreed to indemnify the Ergen Stockholders and their affiliates with respect to liabilities resulting from untrue statements or omissions in any registration statement used in any such registration, other than untrue statements or omissions based on or contained in information furnished to EchoStar for use in a registration statement by a participating stockholder.

For more information and a copy of the Amended Merger Agreement, the Amended Support Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, see the Form 8-K of EchoStar filed on October 3, 2023 and the Form 8-K of EchoStar filed on January 2, 2024.

With the Merger complete, we are currently focused on the process of integrating our and EchoStar’s business in a manner that facilitates synergies, cost savings, growth opportunities and achieves other anticipated benefits (the “Integration”).

As a result of the merger with EchoStar effective December 31, 2023, all of our outstanding shares are held by EchoStar. Therefore, certain disclosures related to outstanding shares and equity have been omitted.

Future Capital Requirements

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business.

Our cash and cash equivalents and marketable investment securities totaled $382 million as of December 31, 2023 (“Cash on Hand”). As reflected in the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2023, we have $951 million and $1.983 billion of debt maturing in March and November 2024, respectively, as well as a $438 million obligation related to the SNR put right and for calendar year 2024 we are forecasting negative cash flows. Our parent, EchoStar, satisfied the SNR obligation out of its cash and cash equivalents and marketable investment securities on February 16, 2024. The remaining balance of $951 million on our 2 3/8% Convertible Notes matured on March 15, 2024 and was paid with Cash on Hand, cash flow from operations and funds from certain strategic transactions including the sale of our wholly-owned subsidiary which holds the 700 MHz Spectrum to a wholly-owned subsidiary of our parent, EchoStar, on March 12, 2024. See Note 9 for further information.

Because we do not currently have committed financing to fund our operations for at least twelve months from the issuance of these consolidated financial statements, substantial doubt exists about our and our parent, EchoStar’s, ability to continue as a going concern. As discussed above, we used Cash on Hand, cash flow from operations and funds from certain strategic transactions including the sale of our wholly-owned subsidiary which holds the 700 MHz Spectrum to a wholly-owned subsidiary of our parent, EchoStar, to pay the March 2024 debt maturity. We do not currently have the necessary Cash on Hand and/or projected future cash flows to fund the November 2024 debt maturity. To address our capital needs, we are in active discussions with funding sources to raise additional capital and restructure our outstanding debt. We cannot provide assurances that we will be successful in obtaining such new financing and/or restructuring the existing debt obligations necessary for us to have sufficient liquidity. Further, if we are not successful in these endeavors, then capital expenditures to meet future FCC build out requirements and wireless customer growth initiatives will be adversely affected.

In addition, our parent, EchoStar, may not be able to provide additional liquidity in the future.

The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amount and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we not continue as a going concern.

Segments

We currently operate three primary business segments: (1) Pay-TV; (2) Retail Wireless and (3) 5G Network Deployment.

Pay-TV

We offer pay-TV services under the DISH® brand and the SLING® brand (collectively “Pay-TV” services). The DISH branded pay-TV service consists of, among other things, Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) licenses authorizing us to use direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) and Fixed Satellite Service (“FSS”) spectrum, our owned and leased satellites, receiver systems, broadcast operations, a leased fiber optic network, in-home service and call center operations, and certain other assets utilized in our operations (“DISH TV”). We also design, develop and distribute receiver systems and provide digital broadcast operations, including satellite uplinking/downlinking, transmission and other services to third-party pay-TV providers. The SLING branded pay-TV services consist of, among other things, multichannel, live-linear and on-demand streaming over-the-top (“OTT”) Internet-based domestic, international, Latino and Freestream video programming services (“SLING TV”). As of December 31, 2023, we had 8.526 million Pay-TV subscribers in the United States, including 6.471 million DISH TV subscribers and 2.055 million SLING TV subscribers.

Retail Wireless

We offer nationwide prepaid and postpaid retail wireless services to subscribers primarily under our Boost Mobile®, Boost postpaid and Gen Mobile® brands (“Retail Wireless” services), as well as a competitive portfolio of wireless devices. Prepaid wireless subscribers generally pay in advance for monthly access to wireless talk, text, and data services. Postpaid wireless subscribers are qualified to pay after receiving wireless talk, text, and data services, and may also qualify for financing arrangements for wireless devices.

We are currently operating our Retail Wireless segment primarily as a mobile virtual network operator (“MVNO”) as we continue our 5G Network Deployment and commercialize our 5G Network, as defined below. We are transitioning our Retail Wireless segment to a mobile network operator (“MNO”) as our 5G Network becomes commercially available and we are currently activating subscribers onto our 5G Network in markets where we have reached voice over new radio (“VoNR”). As an MVNO, today we depend on T-Mobile and AT&T to provide us with network services under the amended Master Network Services Agreement (“MNSA”) and Network Services Agreement (the “NSA”), respectively. Under the NSA, we expect AT&T will become our primary network services provider. As of December 31, 2023, we had 7.378 million Wireless subscribers.

Other Developments

We regularly evaluate ways to enhance our business. As part of this process, we are in regular dialogue with interested parties who may assist us in accomplishing our goals, including ongoing conversations with CONX Corp. (an entity partially owned by Charles W. Ergen, our Chairman) regarding a transaction involving our Retail Wireless segment. There can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to a transaction nor as to the structure or terms of any such transaction.

5G Network Deployment

We have invested a total of over $30 billion in Wireless spectrum licenses, which includes over $10 billion in initial noncontrolling investments in certain entities. The $30 billion of investments related to Wireless spectrum licenses does not include $9 billion of capitalized interest related to the carrying value of such licenses. See Note 2 and Note 13 for further information.

We will need to raise additional capital in the future, which may not be available on favorable terms, to fund the efforts described below, as well as, among other things, make any potential Northstar Re-Auction Payment and SNR Re-Auction Payment for the AWS-3 licenses retained by the FCC. There can be no assurance that we will be able to profitably deploy these Wireless spectrum licenses, which may affect the carrying amount of these assets and our future financial condition or results of operations. See Note 13 for further information.

DISH Network Spectrum

We have invested a total of over $30 billion to acquire certain Wireless spectrum licenses. These Wireless spectrum licenses are subject to certain interim and final build-out requirements, as well as certain renewal requirements. We plan to commercialize our Wireless spectrum licenses through the completion of the nation’s first cloud-native, Open Radio Access Network (“O-RAN”) based 5G network (our “5G Network Deployment”). We have committed to deploy a facilities-based 5G broadband network (our “5G Network”) capable of serving increasingly larger portions of the U.S. population at different deadlines, including 20% of the U.S. population by June 2022 and 70% of the U.S. population by June 2023. If by June 2023, we are offering 5G broadband service to at least 50% of the U.S. population but less than 70% of the U.S. population, the 70% June 2023 deadline will be extended automatically to June 2025; however, as a result, we may, under certain circumstances, potentially be subject to certain penalties. On June 14, 2022, we announced we had successfully reached our 20% population coverage requirement. In addition, we announced and certified to the FCC that as of June 14, 2023, we offer 5G broadband service to over 73% of the U.S. population, or more than 246 million Americans nationwide. On September 29, 2023, the FCC confirmed we have met all of our June 14, 2023 band-specific 5G deployment commitments, and two of our three nationwide 5G commitments. The single remaining 5G commitment, that at least 70% of the U.S. population has access to average download speeds equal to 35 Mbps, was confirmed using the drive test methodology agreed to and approved by the FCC and overseen by an independent monitor. We now have the largest commercial deployment of 5G VoNR in the world reaching approximately 200 million Americans, and 5G broadband service reaching approximately 250 million Americans.

As a result of us providing 5G broadband service to over 50% of the U.S. population by June 14, 2023, the final build-out deadlines have been extended automatically to June 14, 2025 for us to offer 5G broadband service to at least 70% of the population in each Economic Area for the 700 MHz Licenses and AWS-4 Licenses and at least 75% of the population in each Economic Area for the H Block Licenses.

We may need to make significant additional investments or partner with others to, among other things, continue our 5G Network Deployment and further commercialize, build-out and integrate these licenses and related assets and any additional acquired licenses and related assets, as well as to comply with regulations applicable to such licenses. Depending on the nature and scope of such activities, any such investments or partnerships could vary significantly. In addition, as we continue our 5G Network Deployment, we have and may continue to incur significant additional expenses related to, among other things, research and development, wireless testing and ongoing upgrades to the wireless network infrastructure, software and third-party integration. As a result of these investments, among other factors, we plan to raise additional capital, which may not be available on favorable terms. We may also determine that additional wireless spectrum licenses may be required for our 5G Network Deployment and to compete effectively with other wireless service providers. See Note 13 for further information.

DISH Network Noncontrolling Investments in the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities Related to AWS-3 Wireless Spectrum Licenses

During 2015, through our wholly-owned subsidiaries American AWS-3 Wireless II L.L.C. (“American II”) and American AWS-3 Wireless III L.L.C. (“American III”), we initially made over $10 billion in certain noncontrolling investments in Northstar Spectrum, LLC (“Northstar Spectrum”), the parent company of Northstar Wireless, L.L.C. (“Northstar Wireless,” and collectively with Northstar Spectrum, the “Northstar Entities”), and in SNR Wireless HoldCo, LLC (“SNR HoldCo”), the parent company of SNR Wireless LicenseCo, LLC (“SNR Wireless,” and collectively with SNR HoldCo, the “SNR Entities”), respectively. On October 27, 2015, the FCC granted certain AWS-3 wireless spectrum licenses (the “AWS-3 Licenses”) to Northstar Wireless and to SNR Wireless, respectively, which are recorded in “Regulatory authorizations, net” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Under the applicable accounting guidance in Accounting Standards Codification 810, Consolidation (“ASC 810”), Northstar Spectrum and SNR HoldCo are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and, based on the characteristics of the structure of these entities and in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance, we consolidate these entities into our financial statements. On October 12, 2023, the FCC consented to the sale of Northstar Manager, LLC’s (“Northstar Manager”) ownership interests in Northstar Spectrum, which we purchased for a total of approximately $109 million. This purchase resulted in the elimination of all of our redeemable noncontrolling interest as it related to Northstar Spectrum as of the purchase date and we continue to consolidate the Northstar Entities as wholly-owned subsidiaries. Subsequent to December 31, 2023, the FCC consented to the sale of SNR Wireless Management, LLC’s (“SNR Management”) ownership interests in SNR HoldCo, which was purchased by our parent’s direct wholly-owned subsidiary EchoStar SNR HoldCo L.L.C. for a total of approximately $442 million on February 16, 2024. This purchase resulted in the conversion of our outstanding redeemable noncontrolling interest as it relates to SNR HoldCo to noncontrolling interest, which is now held by our parent, EchoStar, as of the purchase date. See Note 2 for further information.

Other Developments

Cyber-Security Incident

On February 23, 2023, we experienced a network outage that affected our internal servers and IT telephony. We immediately activated our incident response and business continuity plans designed to contain, remediate and recover from the situation. We engaged the services of certain cyber-security experts and outside advisors to assist in the evaluation of the situation, and once we determined that the outage was due to a cyber-security incident, we promptly notified appropriate law enforcement authorities.

On February 28, 2023, we further disclosed that certain data had been extracted from our IT systems. Our investigation into the extent of the incident is now completed. We determined that our customer databases were not accessed, however, we confirmed that certain employee-related records as well as a limited number of other records containing certain personal information were among the data extracted. We took steps to protect the affected records, received confirmation that the extracted data was deleted and notified individuals whose data was extracted.

Our DISH TV, SLING TV and Retail Wireless services, along with our wireless and data networks remained operational at all times during the incident. As of March 31, 2023, all significant systems had been restored.

During the first quarter of 2023, we incurred substantially all of our cyber-security-related expenses for this matter, including, but not limited to, costs to remediate the incident and provide additional customer support. During the second, third and fourth quarters of 2023, we did not incur additional material expenses resulting from the cyber-security incident and do not expect to incur material expenses in future periods. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we incurred approximately $30 million in cyber-security-related expenses, which are recorded in “Cost of services” on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).